If the sight of tangled cables brings you out in OCD shakes then this little gizmo, currently seeking $50k in Kickstarter crowdfunding, will bring peace and tranquility to your gadget-loving eye.
Torso is the charger cable transformed into a shortened, bendable stub which can double as a phone stand — so you can Facetime handsfree or snap a self-timer photo or stand your phone up while charging it.
Torso can also act as a portable spool to prevent your headphones from roving aimlessly around your bag, tying themselves into as many knots as possible like a pair of dogs left to run free with their leashes on.
Torso is actually the follow up to 2012’s Twig, which pulled in just over $168,000 on Kickstarter in July 2012 but was designed purely for the old 30-pin iPhone connector. Oops.
Apple has since shifted to its new 8-pin Lighting connector so Torso’s makers have updated their design to play nice with the iPhone 5s/5c (a plastic clip/cradle is required to securely grip the phone).
They have also expanded their reach with a Micro USB version — so Torso can plug into most Android phones (a bottom-centred charger port is required for the stand scenarios to work well though).
And for those still rocking older iPhones/iPods there’s also a 30-pin version of Torso. Which is really just the earlier Twig, with the new name.
(Note that you have to select one of these types of connectors per Torso; you don’t get all three ends.)
As with all Kickstarter projects, Torso is a prototype for now — so only part with your cash if you’re willing to wait three-plus months to get the finished product.
Should Torso hit its funding goal (it’s approaching $15k in funding with 29 days left of its campaign) its makers are aiming to ship the device in April or May. Which means the 30-pin iOS Torso may not be the best investment. But the Micro USB or Lightning versions should see years of service, at least.
The Micro USB Torso costs $15 to early Kickstarter backers; the 30-pin iOS Torso costs $19; and the Lightning Torso costs $23 to early backers.